Russian Forces Pound Rebel-dominated Villages

OTHER NEWS TO NOTE - World

August 17, 1999

BOTLIKH, Russia - Russian fighter jets and helicopters roared over the Caucasus region of Dagestan on Monday, pressing ahead with a bombing campaign against Islamic militants holed up in several mountain villages. Still reluctant to launch a large ground offensive, Moscow was relying on air power and heavy artillery against the entrenched rebels. Plumes of smoke from the bombings rose from the mountains Monday.